Tax breaks for millionaires but not one cent for Big Bird

In the recent presidential debate, had the question been posed, either candidate would have readily affirmed that the United States is the greatest country in the world. Either would do so without hesitation and further argue that the U.S. is the greatest nation in the entire history of the world. To Americans this is a given. But in a Mitt Romney America the preschool children of the greatest nation will enjoy and extol its greatness without Big Bird.

In the debate, public broadcasting, in Romney`s own words, Sesame Street, the Count, Bert and Ernie, and Big Bird will be sacrificed as too burdensome an expense for a Romney administration to condone. This position is without regard for the fact that millions upon millions of preschool children learned basic math and language skill, as well as civility, kindness, humility and the value of friendship from the mentoring characters of this very worthy show. Sesame Street and public broadcasting in general is not an example of an unaffordable luxury, but rather wise and efficient use of an incredibly small amount of tax money producing a large and valuable return.

In a Romney administration Big Bird will go, but Donald Trump, the Koch brothers and other multi- millionaires like Mr. Romney himself will get tax breaks. By his own words there is no room in a Mitt Romney federal budget for the pennies that provides Big Bird to the preschoolers of America. In the same broadcasted debate Mr. Romney asks those at the other end of the age spectrum, our senior citizens, to trust him to do the right thing by them with the billions of dollars for their Medicare and their Social Security.

Chris Shaw

Kingston

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